This paper presents a detailed review of the logic, rationale and limitations of the trajectory solution procedures of the original Calspan Reconstruction of Accident Speeds on the Highway (CRASH) program, and discusses a number of refinements including: incorporation of the principle of conservation of angular momentum, approximations of the effects of changes during collision in the positions and orientations of the two vehicles and of the effects of external forces and moments that act on the two-body system during collision, and adaptations of optimization techniques for error reduction and convergence in iterative solutions. The overall effects of the refinements to the CRASH trajectory algorithm on reconstruction results are illustrated by direct comparisons of results with Simulation Model of Automobile Collisions (SMAC) reconstructions of full-scale collision tests. (A)
Samenvatting